Plant questions

foxglove

What is this large rosette plant that popped up on its own?

This looks like a foxglove (Digitalis), growing in its first-year leaf rosette. It’s a pretty biennial flower, but every part of the plant is highly poisonous, so only keep it if it’s away from pets and children.

What is this volunteer shrub growing in my Durham, NC garden bed?

From the photo it looks like a young, weedy shrub rather than a desirable ornamental. In the Durham, NC area, seedlings of invasive shrubs like privet or bush honeysuckle commonly pop up like this, so it’s safest to treat it as a weed and remove it unless you positively identify it with flowers or fruit.

fleabane (Conyza/Erigeron)

Is this backyard plant with small white puffball flowers a weed or a flower?

This looks like a wild fleabane, which many people treat as a weed but it is a flowering wild plant that feeds pollinators. If you like how it looks and it’s not taking over, it’s fine to leave a few; pull it out where you don’t want it.